Joe Strummer 002 coming soon

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Marky Dread
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Re: Joe Strummer 002 coming soon

Post by Marky Dread »

JohnS wrote:
18 Sep 2022, 11:58am
Fair play to Dark Horse, for all the gripes about high prices and not a huge amount of new audio, the packaging of both sets is very well done.
And I prefer the CD to the vinyl version, the 'scrapbook' cover for the book looks nicer, and it looks like it replicates everything from the larger format version. You often find there's more content in the bigger (and more expensive) vinyl versions of box sets.
I agree regards the CD box. The book is way better. Shame they didn't have stand alone album sleeves in the vinyl box.
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motorsmell
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Re: Joe Strummer 002 coming soon

Post by motorsmell »

Marky Dread wrote:
18 Sep 2022, 12:01pm
JohnS wrote:
18 Sep 2022, 11:58am
Fair play to Dark Horse, for all the gripes about high prices and not a huge amount of new audio, the packaging of both sets is very well done.
And I prefer the CD to the vinyl version, the 'scrapbook' cover for the book looks nicer, and it looks like it replicates everything from the larger format version. You often find there's more content in the bigger (and more expensive) vinyl versions of box sets.
I agree regards the CD box. The book is way better. Shame they didn't have stand alone album sleeves in the vinyl box.
I read the cd version is 72 pages, is there more in it on just the same stuff spread out over more pages?

Marky Dread
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Re: Joe Strummer 002 coming soon

Post by Marky Dread »

motorsmell wrote:
18 Sep 2022, 3:06pm
Marky Dread wrote:
18 Sep 2022, 12:01pm
JohnS wrote:
18 Sep 2022, 11:58am
Fair play to Dark Horse, for all the gripes about high prices and not a huge amount of new audio, the packaging of both sets is very well done.
And I prefer the CD to the vinyl version, the 'scrapbook' cover for the book looks nicer, and it looks like it replicates everything from the larger format version. You often find there's more content in the bigger (and more expensive) vinyl versions of box sets.
I agree regards the CD box. The book is way better. Shame they didn't have stand alone album sleeves in the vinyl box.
I read the cd version is 72 pages, is there more in it on just the same stuff spread out over more pages?
Same stuff mate.
Image

Forces have been looting
My humanity
Curfews have been curbing
The end of liberty


We're the flowers in the dustbin...
No fuchsias for you.

"Without the common people you're nothing"

Nos Sumus Una Familia

motorsmell
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Re: Joe Strummer 002 coming soon

Post by motorsmell »

Was googling the meskies names to see what's been happening etc...and came across this featuring Pablo Cook and Joe's mate Keith Allen... Appologies if this has been shared before but it tickled me

Marky Dread
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Re: Joe Strummer 002 coming soon

Post by Marky Dread »

motorsmell wrote:
18 Sep 2022, 4:03pm
Was googling the meskies names to see what's been happening etc...and came across this featuring Pablo Cook and Joe's mate Keith Allen... Appologies if this has been shared before but it tickled me
Years old mate and a load of crap. Though I like Keith.
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Forces have been looting
My humanity
Curfews have been curbing
The end of liberty


We're the flowers in the dustbin...
No fuchsias for you.

"Without the common people you're nothing"

Nos Sumus Una Familia

Mark^Bastard
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Re: Joe Strummer 002 coming soon

Post by Mark^Bastard »

This 4th album on 002 is pretty good. Happy with it. Haven't listened to the normal albums yet, have they been remastered or anything like that?

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Re: Joe Strummer 002 coming soon

Post by BR16ADE_R055E »

The mastering on 002 seems to better than on 001. For example, “Coma Girl” on 002 doesn’t sound distorted and too loud unlike the one on 001. I haven’t checked the waveforms of 002...it’s just according to my ears.

Mark^Bastard
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Re: Joe Strummer 002 coming soon

Post by Mark^Bastard »

Awesome. I am buying it on vinyl (hasn't arrived yet) and was just listening through spotify, so can't really gauge the mastering.

The demo versions seem better because they are more stripped back.

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Re: Joe Strummer 002 coming soon

Post by msza2 »

I vomited out a track by track review of Vibes Compass based on my first couple of listens....

Time and Tide: We've had this one since 1999. I've never felt like it was anything special, but it does a decent job of setting the tone for the rest of the album. It feels sort of like the non-essential intro music as the curtain rises.

Techno D-Day: Aside from some extra percussion (which is cool), and an extra 90 second run time, this one is almost identical to the X-Ray version to my ears. I’d have hoped for a little more in the way of novelty. Great song, though.

Ocean of Dreams: Vocals on this one was a nice surprise, as I was only familiar with the instrumental version that has circulated. It’s a decent vibe track. It doesn't strike me as a lost gem but I’ll have to get it a few more listens to properly judge. I appreciate that there’s something new here.

Forbidden City: Not the Rockfield version that was released a few years ago. This one is very close to the original (maybe a touch faster?). It’s a strong song, but there’s not much new here, either. I wish they would have included the Rockfield version instead as it was a different approach to the song.

X-Ray Style: The Rock Art version is one of my favorite songs ever. Just perfect in every way – some of Joe’s best lyrics and a fantastic arrangement. So this version was kind of disappointing to me. The double-tracked vocals are fairly sloppy and cause it to lose some of its intimacy. The drums are simpler, which is a nice variation, but overall it just feels inferior to the album version.

Road to Rock ‘n Roll: This one, on the other hand, is a great variation. It gives us a new (and maybe better) perspective on an old favorite. This is Joe at his ‘campfire-iest.’ It’s no wonder this was the first promo track released for 002.

Tony Adams: Very similar to the album version, except with some really cool additional percussion in the choruses and outro, and some very slightly different phrasing in the vocals. I really like the added percussion, especially in the outro. It’s menacing.

Cool N Out: Now this one is really interesting. The vocal take doesn’t have the same energy that the album version has, which was initially disappointing, but once those synth pads hit, it really gives this version a unique spin. I love the extended outro as well. This, to me, is the ‘Rat Patrol version’ of Cool N Out – chiller, spacier, longer.

Global A Go-Go: Another one of my all-time favorite songs. It just oozes with life. This is Joe’s global outlook at its best. This version is pretty similar to the official one. Some extra keys throughout don’t really add or detract in my opinion. Really cool to hear some alternate lyrics though. Ernest Ranglin and the Beach Boys get a shout-out. I wish there had been another Global demo or two on this set. As jammy as that album is, you know there must be oodles of outtakes.

Secret Agent Man: As far as “new” material goes, this is probably the main draw. I love how Joe wasn’t afraid to tackle iconic material. Some artists look for ‘hidden gems’ to reinterpret, but Joe went for the big ones. I do prefer the live, full-band arrangement (Guitar Slinger Man) to the more electronic version we get here, but this version still rocks and how can one possibly complain about a never before released studio-quality Joe tune? Super grateful to have this.

All in a Day: I’ve always loved this song. One of Joe’s last rock-outs. Not too much is different in this version. There’s a bit of high-end guitar riffage in the chorus here that I think they wisely stripped for the Streetcore version. Also cool that the runtime on this version is a bit shorter. I don’t think the extra 45 seconds they added for Streetcore really added much. As Inder mentioned upthread, the Triple-X shoutout is amusing.

London is Burning: This one was just released on 001 and I don’t hear any differences from that version. While this has its charms, the main thing it does for me is just reinforce how fucking awesome Martin and Scott had become as a team with what they did to elevate this into Burnin’ Streets. It felt like, in those Streetcore sessions, their playing really coalesced into something really unique and potent. The reggae/dub vibe was everywhere, yet fully integrated into a more straight-forward rock sound (or acoustic rock, in this case). I’d put forth Arms Aloft, Burning Streets, and Midnight Jam as the best examples of the “dub-rock” sound they developed on Streetcore, for lack of a better term.

Get Down Moses: A more prominent mix given to the brass in this version (the brass is so low on Streetcore that it really doesn’t make much of an impact, and it also seems to have some heavy synth effects on it). I always thought it was a shamey that after London Calling Joe so rarely used brass in the studio. On this demo, the brass is natural and prominent. This feels like the ‘London Calling version’ of GDM and I love it. Definitely a highlight.

Fantastic: My guess is that this is where the song stood when Joe died and the Meskies took it the rest of the way to the version we get on Streetcore as Ramshackle Day Parade. Again, that’s a testament to their talent as it's probably the better version, but Fantastic does feel more “Joe” and therefore I’m really glad it's been released. RDP has a sort of deftness to its arrangement that really draws out the emotion, but Joe’s sensibility was more straightforward and earthy and that comes across more in Fantastic. It feels more like an “ancient British folk song written in 1999” like Yalla Yalla.

Coma Girl: A rougher runthrough than the one on Streetcore. Nice to hear another take but I can’t say it adds much to the conversation. Still, I was feeling a bit misty eyed by the time it came on.

Overall, this almost feels like an alternate-takes Greatest Hits album for the Meskies rather than a vault-clearer. I think Luce and the gang really prioritized the demos that could hang together as a coherent and mainstream listen rather than the more interesting but probably rougher demos that surely exist. I’m not opposed to that approach (especially if they have further releases in mind) as I do think Vibes Compass will probably become my go-to Meskies compilation.

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Re: Joe Strummer 002 coming soon

Post by Low Down Low »

Good post, think i would share the majority of those observations. I like SAM a lot and while the demos are nothing particularly special, I'm just happy to have them. Cool N Out is probably the stand out for me. Really dig the baritone sax throughout and the lines from Tony Adams are interesting, suggests to me this was someone (likely Slatto) just goofing around at the controls rather than actually seriously working on the finished product. Whatever, i really like what emerged from it anyway.

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Re: Joe Strummer 002 coming soon

Post by matedog »

I'm probably not going to buy this, unfortunately. I bought 001 without a second thought, but I already own the albums on vinyl and the demos aren't particularly revelatory and only one legit outtake that's a cover. It's just not enough for me. I feel bad saying that.
Look, you have to establish context for these things. And I maintain that unless you appreciate the Fall of Constantinople, the Great Fire of London, and Mickey Mantle's fatalist alcoholism, live Freddy makes no sense. If you want to half-ass it, fine, go call Simon Schama to do the appendix.

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Re: Joe Strummer 002 coming soon

Post by Heston »

Where can I hear the demo disc if I haven't got Spotify? Cheers.
There's a tiny, tiny hopeful part of me that says you guys are running a Kaufmanesque long con on the board

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Re: Joe Strummer 002 coming soon

Post by Low Down Low »

Heston wrote:
21 Sep 2022, 11:19am
Where can I hear the demo disc if I haven't got Spotify? Cheers.
I thought you could listen on spotify free without a subscription but not sure. I think most of em are up on You Tube though.

Marky Dread
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Re: Joe Strummer 002 coming soon

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BR16ADE_R055E wrote:
20 Sep 2022, 4:20am
The mastering on 002 seems to better than on 001. For example, “Coma Girl” on 002 doesn’t sound distorted and too loud unlike the one on 001. I haven’t checked the waveforms of 002...it’s just according to my ears.
I've only played "Vibes Compass" thus far and the demos do sound loud and the WAV files are brickwalled.
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Forces have been looting
My humanity
Curfews have been curbing
The end of liberty


We're the flowers in the dustbin...
No fuchsias for you.

"Without the common people you're nothing"

Nos Sumus Una Familia

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Re: Joe Strummer 002 coming soon

Post by Telecaster »

Marky, are the problems with brickwalling associated with Assembly and 002, a trend in remastering? Paul Hicks seems to have an impressive CV and he remastered both projects.

I haven't played my cd's yet and I must admit my hearing is knackered. The book is a lovely item full of lyric sheet reproductions and recollections from Joe's bandmates.
Amazon are selling it for £54.43 at the moment.

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